1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a V-type internal combustion engine and more particularly to a water pump arrangement for such an engine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A water pump for an internal combustion engine is generally a centrifugal type and mainly consists of a pump housing secured to a front end of a cylinder block and an impeller rotatably supported on the pump housing. The water pump is driven by an engine power by way of a belt drive mechanism or the like.
In the case of a V-type internal combustion engine, it is necessary to supply coolant to the water jackets of the left and right banks of the cylinder block equally. For this reason, it has been a general practice to dispose the water pump at a front end central portion of the cylinder block between the left and right banks so that the coolant discharged from the water pump is supplied to the water jackets of the respective banks through the front ends thereof.
A problem of the prior art water pump arrangement is that the lengthwise size of the engine becomes considerably large, i.e., the water pump arrangement is an obstacle to making the engine smaller in size. In the case of a V-type internal combustion engine, the cylinders of one bank are offset more forward of the engine than the cylinders of the other bank. In the prior art arrangement, the water pump is installed on a front end portion of the cylinder block coinciding, with respect to a lengthwise direction of the engine, with the front end of the bank having the cylinders which are offset more forward of the engine, resulting in a considerably large lengthwise size of the engine.